Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-23
A NEST0R OF THE PRESS.
DEATH or ELIZABETH CADY
MONS HUSBAND.

ness-1hirty Years an Associate of
Charles A. Dana-Marvelous Powers
as a Word PRinter-Eminent Lawyers
of Gothsm Who Are But Little known.
NEW YORK, Jan. 22.-Another OF the
journalistic cedars OF Lebanon has dis.
appeared. Henry B. Stanton is dead, and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton is a widow. Mr..
Stanton began his newspaper career be-
fore Horace Greeley entered a country
printing office. Thurlow Weed was ed
iting little weekly newspaper in West
ern New York at the time, and old James
Gordon Bennett was teaching school.
Erastus Brooks was a clerk in a grocery,
and James Watson Webb was an army
officer. William Cullen Bryant had just
arrived in New York city, and John W.
Forney was running around barefooted.
Henry j. Raymond and Charles A. Dana
were wearing check aprons. Manton b.
Marble and George W. Childs and Will
liam Henry Hurlburt were enwrapped in
| the ocean otfuturity, and A. X. Mcclure
| and Joseph K. Hawiey were just learning
to walk. George ID. Prentice was teach
ing school in Connecticut. (Stanton had
been one of his pupils) Robert b. Rhett,
oft Charleston Mercury, had just en-
tered the south Carolina Legislature and
George W. Kendall, of the New Orleans
Picayune, was a tramp printer. Charles
Dickens was boy OF 10, and Thackeray
was IA. Mr.. Stanton had been news
paper writer exactly slXty.two years
when be died. For nearly thirty years be
had been, with slight interval, an edi-
tOrlal associate with Charles A. Dana.
Mr.. Dana first employed nm on the
Tribune. His articles were usually de-
/ a "a
yelOus memory, which stood him in good
stead when making comparisons and
drawing deductions from presidents.
CHATS one of StantOn's articles" SAID
eX-SurveyOr Rufus +. Andrews one day,
f1ourishing the editorial page of the Sun.
81 can always tell them. They begin
with the ordinance OF 1877, slide
down through the alien and sed-
ton laws, rub along the
sQuatter sovereignty and the emancipa-
ton proclamation, and finally reach the
point at issue"
Mr.. Stanton was nearly 50 years old.
He was thin and of medium height. His
eyes were intensely blue, and his nose
straight and thin. His hair was silvery,
and his trim moustache and beard were
as white as snow. His forehead was
high and square. Age had scanned 1t with
finest lace. He had no nervousness, but
was as calm and deliberate OF movement
as Kentucky rif1eman at the battle of
New Orleans. l never saw him excited.
He was as deliberate OF mind as he was
Of body. He never worked under pres
sure, but even at midnight took his time
in describing the hottest of political con-
tests. For years he reported State ana
other conventions, and his forecast OF
llv
not humorous writer, he had keen ap-
probation of wit, and laughed heartily at
hits in debate. He was delightful COM
panion.
A good local reporter knows every
prominent man in his own city. Mr..
stanton was national reporter. There
was nothing local about him. He knew
Intimately not only the prominent men
OF his county and State, but of the nation
at large. To young newspaper writers
ne was a never-ialling source OF informa-
tion. He endeared himself to them by
his geniallty, he was excessively COM
panionable and enjoyable. HIS fund OF
"reminiscences seemed ineXhaustible.
Hours have | spent in the darkened light
of the editorial room hearing his recollec-
tiOns OF Webster, Calhoun, Clay, Benton,
Choate, Gushing, To0mbs, Seward, Doug
las, Davis, Lincoln, Conkling and other
tors would gather and listen. Every
tongue but Stanton's was silent, and
every ear was open. Dinner. work, play
everything was forgotten. The old
mans memory was so vivid, his diCtiOn
was so remarkable, and his word painting
was so exquisite, that when the seance
was closed and he drew on his overcoat
preparatory to going downstairs, the
listeners inhaled long breatns aud drifted
to their desks as though just awakening
from trance.
Despite MIR. Stanton's great age he never
used spectacles. He told me only week
before he died that If his fingers would
only keep pace with his eyes he
would still be able to "hold his
own with the young fellows"
He never had sick day before
his fatal attack of pneumonia, and he
counted confidently on his becoming a
centenarian. "All my ancestors were
long-lived," he once said, land nature
supplied most OF them with three sets OF
teeth. l begin to feel the need OF third
set, and l hope they will come along
soon"
Only a few days before his death he re-
ceIved a letter from the poet Whittier,
asking him TO come TO Amesburg aud
spend q week with him next summer.
MIR. Stanton accepted the invitation, in
viting me 10 accompany him. whittier
can't last long now, you know" said he,
land if we don't improve this opportunity
We may never have another" The op-
portunity has vanished. If the old
friends ever spend another summer week
together il will be in another land